Temple Beth El Marks 50 Years

June 2, 2006|By David Volz Special Correspondent

Temple Beth El in Hollywood is celebrating a milestone. At 50, the temple is the oldest reform synagogue in the city.

"We were established in 1956 and soon after that we became the largest Jewish congregation in Broward County," said Rabbi Allan Tuffs. "We are celebrating our first half century and looking forward to our next 50 years."

The synagogue celebrated the half-century milestone at its annual gala at the Hollywood Beach Country Club on May 13.

During the 50 years, there have been thousands of bar and bat mitzvah celebrations and thousands of children studying in the religious school, according to Tuffs. Currently, the temple has about 375 member families.

"Countless people have worshiped in our facility," Tuffs said. He has been the spiritual leader of the congregation for nine years. "We were the first site in the nation for the Head Start program," he said.

That's something the synagogue is especially proud of, he said. It's just one example of the congregation's efforts at helping others in the community.

"Two days after 9-11, we hosted an interfaith program that included Jews, Christians and Muslims," Tuffs said. "During the past five years, we have been aiding five field hospitals in east Africa. We have sent incubators and oxygen machines to field hospitals in Kenya close to the Somalia border. We also have mitzvah [charitable act] days here."

Worship at the temple is upbeat. "During the past few years, we have had innovative programs to make the worship experience more contemporary and upbeat," Tuffs said. "We have a Friday night service called Friday Night Live and as many as 500 people come and dance and participate in a joyous celebration of Jewish tradition. We have a Klezmer band."

Tuffs said the synagogue's biggest accomplishment in recent years has been its ability to adapt to the changing needs of the Jewish community.

"We have established a very vibrant preschool and we have reached out to the community and been a force for good in the Hollywood area. I can truly say that Temple Beth El has been a blessing not to just the Jewish community but the community at large in this area."